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Two commercial vessels, Alfa Watan and Able, were struck by drones in Bulgaria's Exclusive Economic Zone in the Black Sea on 6 October. Two crew members of Able were reported injured, while crew members of Alfa Watan are missing in the incident.
The attacks occurred around 3:00 AM local time near the exit of the Sulina Canal. According to Bulgaria's Prime Minister Rumen Radev, the Togo-flagged cargo vessel Alfa Watan was en route to Sulina, Romania when it sustained critical structural damage and sank at the scene, while the crew remained missing.
Following the attack, a Bulgarian vessel nearby arrived only to find an overturned boat and rafts as well as life jackets in the water. A search operation has been launched by the authorities to locate the Alfa Watan crewmembers.
There is no immediate information about the cargo aboard the Alfa Watan, while authorities are monitoring for possible oil spills and other environmental pollution.
The second target vessel, Able, was carrying wheat and was sailing south, approximately 8 kilometers away from Alfa Watan. The Palau-flagged vessel caught fire, forcing its 18 crew, comprising 7 Indians and 11 Turks, to abandon ship. The crew were rescued by the Bulgarian ferry Dioscuria. Two crewmembers were injured and received first aid onboard.
Following the treatment, all crew of Able were transferred to a Bulgarian Border Police vessel for evacuation to Varna. The origin of the drones remained unknown.
